South Haven Region Business Hub

Helping small businesses grow.

Category: Nonprofit

Freelancer's working place at home decorated for Christmas holiday. Cat sitting on the table.

Last Minute Holiday Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses

If you’re like many business owners, this time of the year can be one of your best revenue-generating period. Whatever you do, don’t give up! Keep trying new things until you find the one that works.

What Can a Marketing Plan Do For You?

Don’t fly by the seat of your pants when it comes to marketing. Cheri Bales explains why having a solid plan helps ensure a great return on investment.

Nonprofit Marketing Planning Tips

Nonprofit marketers face a special set of challenges. Find out how to address these roadblocks and help keep your organization on track.

How to Select the Right Social Media and Marketing Channels

Feeling overwhelmed by the growing social media options? Guest blogger Cheri Bales of Hannah Gold Communications breaks down four tasks you need today to get your business on track socially.

Defining Your Marketing Goals is Key to Success

Marketing is all about putting the right product or service—or a combination thereof—in the right place, at the right time, and at the right price. Right? Wrong. Find out why.

Sponsored by the City of South Haven, South Haven Chamber of Commerce, and Lake Michigan College.

Congratulations to Gregory Shelton of Grand Unique Laundry for receiving his first loan through Northern Initiatives. With help from his SCORE mentor, Cheri Bales, Gregory did a fantastic job on developing his business plan and showing real entrepreneurial spirit. We wish you much success, and look forward to your upward movement. You are a wonderful role model.

—Gregory Shelton of Grand Unique Laundry

I appreciate your ears for listening, your eyes that see my vision and your heart that makes you who you are. I thank you for your time. You are making a difference.

—Shawntel Lindsey, Director, The Artbor Community Connections Center

The WMed Innovation Center is a perfect environment for innovation to grow and become a successful commercial enterprise.

—Client

Whether you are seeking a research partner or want to enlist the help of student groups in developing business plans, or just looking for ways to engage with WMU, the Business Connection office can find the resource to help move your business forward.

—Mentor

A loan (from Local Initiatives Support Corporation) helped expand our cafe to triple our seating, add a kids space, increase much needed staff work areas, and make other improvements to the space.

—Krystal

The Michigan eLibrary (MeL) is the State of Michigan’s digital library. It has excellent resources available to Michigan residents at no cost.

—Owner

Western Michigan University’s Starting Gate helped me take an idea and transform it into a much more attainable reality. Whether providing talks with investors and business owners or accountability, the ultimate goal is helping your business succeed.

—Peter Shutt

The Kalamazoo Land Bank did robust community engagement around the vision and gave us something to work with that was solidly desired by people in the neighborhood. Having a vision meant we had to protect it. That’s something I thank the Land Bank for. It was difficult. It didn’t make anything faster or easier, but we got a better project in the end as a result of it.

—Matt Hollander

Buy Local Greater Kalamazoo is a hard working grassroots group focused on the greater Kalamazoo community and its small businesses. Their events and networking opportunities are the best!

—Cheri Bales

Michigan SBDC is a great company providing top notch service to local businesses all over Michigan. The consultants are professional and the student workers contribute with excellent work!